Reviving the Nation's Maritime Industry

If you don’t know what the U.S. Merchant Marine does, you should. Although not part of the military, this civilian organization is responsible for a fleet of U.S.-registered commercial ships that transport goods and passengers, thus serving a critical role in supporting national security and commerce.

We need to do more, though. The U.S. must accompany the construction of shipyards and the education of merchant mariners with a greater investment in unlicensed mariner training. These are the men and women who maintain ship’s machinery and operate heavy shipboard equipment – critical players in a functioning merchant marine.

The generational task of restoring America’s Merchant Marine requires growing a strong pool of these skilled unlicensed mariners. Unfortunately, despite recent attention to the industry, too little has yet been done for these unlicensed mariners. As such, the momentum seen to date at the federal level must be extended to the recruitment of unlicensed mariners.

Obviously, this surge in recruitment was rooted in wartime necessity and patriotism, but the U.S. cannot afford to wait for a global conflict to realize the importance of unlicensed mariner training. 

A 2017 report on the shortage of mariners with unlimited ship tonnage credentials for operation was just over 1,800 vacancies. These numbers have not been updated in almost a decade, but the shortage has likely worsened since COVID-19. Case in point, in 2024, mariner shortages resulted in 17 Military Sealift Command vessels being sidelined.  

While estimates vary for Military Sealift Command (MSC) vessels, most crews, including those of the Navy’s John Lewis class tankers used for fueling warships while underway, are around 70% unlicensed. These crews onboard long-term MSC-chartered vessels, such as the M/T Empire State, are comprised of approximately 60% unlicensed mariners. Bottom line, ships don’t sail without unlicensed mariners. 

The pathway to becoming a Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer, while difficult and justifiably more expensive than an unlicensed position, is streamlined and supported by federal and state funding. Leaving out Kings Point, which is completely funded by the federal government, the existing six state academies receive substantial funding, including approximately $1.5 billion for five new training vessels. 

An unlimited tonnage license, required for most ocean-going vessels, can be earned in several ways. The primary way is through the Merchant Marine Academy or one of the state maritime academies by enrolling in a four-year course of study consisting of Coast Guard licensing classes, training at sea, and degree courses. Or it can be earned through a private school which only offers licensing courses and training at sea and does not lead to a degree.

For unlicensed mariners, the options are less direct. The pipeline from high-school graduate to licensed officer is roughly 900 each year through the academies. The pipeline from an entry-level position to a skilled unlicensed position such as Able Seaman (AB) or Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED) is practically non-existent.

The imbalance in officer vs. crew training is most notable in the lack of formal apprenticeship programs dedicated to turning unskilled aspiring mariners into qualified unlicensed crew. Many schools, including private schools and community colleges, only offer stand-alone courses for entry-level positions such as Ordinary Seaman (OS), and credential upgrades. This route requires mariners to take classes on their own, in between working at-sea for months at a time.

The most attractive and promising approach to solving the unlicensed mariner shortage lies in schools with unlicensed apprentice programs, rather than schools with stand-alone courses. The former can offer young Americans, who are considering other vocational programs, a structured method of obtaining a head start in the maritime industry. There are currently over 200 institutions that provide U.S. Coast Guard approved courses, but a very limited amount of these provide organized pathways like the licensing academies. 

The primary pipeline for the unlicensed mariner is the Seafarers International Union-affiliated Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, in Piney Point, Md. Piney Point runs programs which train applicants with no prior maritime experience for the skilled unlicensed roles of the deck, engine, and stewards departments in one year.

In contrast, even under the temporarily reduced training timelines, an OS taking stand-alone courses needs 540 days of sea time before being eligible for the Able Seaman exam.  The salary difference for Civilian Mariners employed by Military Sealift Command is roughly $20,000 per year more as an AB than as an OS.  Expanding the opportunity to upgrade from Ordinary Seaman to Able Seaman in one year through a vocational school would make the decision to work offshore much easier for entry-level mariners.

But even as the largest school of its kind, Piney Point supplies only 300-350 mariners to the industry annually, all of them at least initially to the commercial fleet.  

Military Sealift Command offers its own courses and internal unlicensed advancement programs. However, these are mostly on-the-job and not a formal and expedited apprenticeship.

The closest resemblance of a state maritime academy for unlicensed billets, which receives government funding, are schools like the Seattle Maritime Academy. This academy also offers a one-year program resulting in a valuable unlicensed rating but differs from Piney Point in that it is a state-run program. However, this academy only graduates 35-50 mariners annually.

Previous attempts by the federal government to increase the number of mariners has not directly addressed the recruitment crisis, especially for unlicensed mariners. President Trump’s 2019 executive order on “Supporting the Transition of Active Duty Service Members and Military Veterans into the Merchant Marine” was just one step toward investing in mariner training.  

While many skills are easily transferable from the military to the Merchant Marine, its unique role as a commercial industry serving the national defense requires its own focus. Recruitment for the commercial and government fleet cannot be siphoned from Department of War manpower and training resources, but it should be organically cultivated as a commercial workforce ready to support the nation as needed.

The current emphasis on licensed mariners should be balanced with increased investment in unlicensed programs mirroring the State Maritime Academies. The two listed examples, Piney Point and the Seattle Maritime Academy, are excellent models for enticing Americans to join the maritime industry and should be replicated as the federal government expands the U.S. fleet. The existing USCG-approved course providers, whether private or state-run, should be incentivized to organize their classes into unlicensed apprentice programs.

If America’s maritime comeback is to succeed, the burden needs to be lifted from American mariners seeking unlicensed training, just as it is for licensed merchant marine officers.

Brent Sadler is a Senior Research Fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology in the Allison Center for National Security. Peter Lynch is a member of Heritage’s Young Leaders Program and graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with several years at-sea as a Merchant Mariner.